Confused about getting a new Non-Immigrant O visa and extension of stay.

[Farangfoodie]

I hope Ubonjoe or someone else can help me understand what I need to do.

 

I came to Thailand in 2013 with a Non-O visa and extended it annually thru 2021.  I spend only a few months each year in the country, so after leaving in February of 2020 and not being able to return due to Covid my re-entry permit and extension both expired on January 4, 2021.

 

Now I want to return and re-establish my previous status.  I am 76 and if I can get it, the health insurance required to get a non-O in the USA would be prohibitively expensive. (I have medical insurance that covers all but routine costs, so I am protected, but cannot get a suitable document because my insurance is ongoing, but not paid thru a certain date).  I went thru the online application process far enough to learn that the insurance is needed even though I had gotten the idea that it was not from reading here.

 

Therefore I am planning to enter visa-exempt about November 16.  My plan would be to convert soon after my arrival to a Non-O giving me a permission to stay date of about mid to late February.  This date would be good because I generally leave Thailand around mid-February each year.  If Chiangmai still allows renewals 45 days in advance I'd always be present in the correct window.

 

I have generally done my extensions myself (except for the few years when it was nearly impossible to get into Immigration without standing in line in the middle of the night).  However, I have contacted two agents and have been told that after entering visa-exempt I must first get an extension before converting to Non-O.  I need to know if this is true.  If it is, it would push my permission to stay date later than would fit my situation.  Also, they are asking for at least 20k baht to do the extension of the entry and conversion to Non-O and then another fee for the extension.

 

Pertinent facts:  I have over 800k in an account at BKK bank that has been there for years never going below 800k.  I use CM Immigration.

 

So my questions are: Is my plan (visa-exempt entry, followed soon by conversion to Non-O and later extending for a year) possible?  Is there another scenario that is better?  Is the insurance requirement using the online visa system in the USA the same regardless of which consulate I use?  (I used the site for LA).

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

 

[RedArmy]

Enter Visa Exempt - 45 days given from 1st October - Extend this for 30 days - Total 75 days, then apply for your 90 day NON O Visa - As you already have sufficient funds in your account, should be a walk in the park - IMO, you do not require the assistance of an agent at this time - You seem to have all your ducks set up correctly.

[Farangfoodie]

OP here.  Why must I extend for 30 days?  That would push my date forward to a time that will never be good for me?  Can I skip the extension and go straight to Non-O after I enter visa-exempt?

[SmokeandIce]

14 hours ago, Farangfoodie said:

OP here.  Why must I extend for 30 days?  That would push my date forward to a time that will never be good for me?  Can I skip the extension and go straight to Non-O after I enter visa-exempt?

Yes. You can apply for the 3 month Non O on your original entry without extension.  As long as you have 30 days or less but not less than 15 days.

[flexomike]

2 hours ago, Farangfoodie said:

OP here.  Why must I extend for 30 days?  That would push my date forward to a time that will never be good for me?  Can I skip the extension and go straight to Non-O after I enter visa-exempt?

you can go direct to the non O visa, i just did that a week ago, entered from Cambodia Visa exempt and the next day went to Immigration and did the application, you will need two copies of all of your document as it has to be sent out for approval, you will use TM87 for your application, they told me to come back in two weeks for my stamp

[CMBob]

Having converted from visa exempt to a Non-O less than a year ago here in Chiangmai:

(1)  You don't need any insurance (it's only needed for entries based on Non-OA visas) if entering visa exempt.  I'm not 100% sure whether you need insurance for a single-entry tourist visa. 

(2)  You do not need to get an extension; however, here in Chiangmai, you need a minimum of 21 days remaining on your exempt time period.   Since OP will be entering with a 45-day exemption, he will have plenty of time (but still advised to go within a few days of entry so that there is time in case any problem arises).  I know that many/most immigration offices only require 15-days remaining to convert but CM requires 21 days (perhaps because paperwork/approval for all conversions must go through Bangkok?).

(3)  Here in Chiangmai you can apply for one's annual extension based on retirement 45 days before the expiration date of your Non-O (or 45 days before expiration of an annual extension thereof).  That's been the rule here for more than 10 years.

Edited September 20, 2022 by CMBob

[Farangfoodie]

OP again.  Thanks to all, and especially to CMBob, whose info is CM specific. 

 

If I go to Immigration as soon as I can after my Nov. 16 visa-exempt entry and do a conversion to Non-O, will my permitted to stay date be 90 days from the date of conversion?  (About Feb 20 would be very good for me as I plan to be in CM every year at least through January.)  Due to this the 15 day or 21 days remaining isn't an issue; I want be sure the permission to stay date is before about March 1 so I can renew each year even if I leave early February. 

 

Thanks for the confirmation that CM still allows extension application 45 days before expiry.

[arithai12]

OP, word of caution about the 800k. As you already know, you will need a letter from your bank to show to imm. You say you haven't been here since Jan 2021. I know people in similar situation, who upon their return found out that the bank had frozen their account for not being used more than 1 year. I am saying that, unless you have kept your account alive with some online transactions, you might find that some extra time is needed to resurrect it  to full function, including said letter.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, flexomike said:

you can go direct to the non O visa, i just did that a week ago, entered from Cambodia Visa exempt and the next day went to Immigration and did the application, you will need two copies of all of your document as it has to be sent out for approval, you will use TM87 for your application, they told me to come back in two weeks for my stamp

I did the same, arriving on Sept 2nd from the U.K. I visited IO on Sept 6th and given a return date of Sept 23rd, so best to visit your IO shortly after visa exempt entry.

2 x copies and passport photos required, Bank letter and updated passbook also, was required to do a TM30 so docs relating to your location required, homeowners id and Tabian Baan etc.

A friend is doing the exact same in another IO and we compared our experiences:

I required a hand drawn map to my home and he was requested for his parents full name and his religion .

 

As usual your IO may make different  requests.

[hakancnx]

OP, Beware of that you will need an ongoing ticket out of the country within the 45 days of your exempt. 

[Farangfoodie]

Well aware of that, thanks.

 

[zzzzz]

to apply / convert from a visa exempt or tourist visa for the non o u need show 800,000 in the bank
than, as long as ur Baht is in the bank 2 month before you apply for the 1 year extension> your good to go.....
most arrivals need the 1 month extension to season their baht in the bank, as you already have that>>>
as said. a walk in the park

[hakancnx]

When applying for a Non O at immigration, the money in bank only have to be there the on the same day. 

 

But when doing the extension the money have to been in the bank for 2 month. 

[Farangfoodie]

Op again.  I still don't understand why the agents tell me that I need to extend my visa exempt before converting to Non-O.  Any ideas?  And why do they want so much money compared to doing extension?  Seems just as simple.

 

I'm going to do it all myself.

 

Another question: does anyone have recent info about how busy CM Immigration is?

[chuang]

16 hours ago, hakancnx said:

When applying for a Non O at immigration, the money in bank only have to be there the on the same day. 

 

But when doing the extension the money have to been in the bank for 2 month. 

Must the money in bank has to be from overseas.. thanks

[flynn]

The agents will be meaning, you come in on a visa exempt, you have to change  that to a o visa which will give you another 90 days then change that to a non o based on retirement, my understanding is that is the process you have to go through, 

[CMBob]

5 hours ago, Farangfoodie said:

OP again.  Thanks to all, and especially to CMBob, whose info is CM specific. 

 

If I go to Immigration as soon as I can after my Nov. 16 visa-exempt entry and do a conversion to Non-O, will my permitted to stay date be 90 days from the date of conversion?  (About Feb 20 would be very good for me as I plan to be in CM every year at least through January.) 

 

 

The 90-day Non-O you will get will not start at the end of your 45-day visa exempt period but rather within about 10 days of the time you actually apply.  I  applied on or about September 28th and, even though I didn't actually get the stamp until about October 19th, the Non-O had a start date of October 8th.  So I'm guessing the beginning date is the date it's approved in Bangkok (or, perhaps, when CM Immigration gets it done after Bangkok approval)?

 

So OP, if you apply (let's say) November 18th, you will on that date get a paper stapled into your passport that essentially says you're on a 21-day waiting period (it signals the date you come back to get the actual Non-O visa stamp).  But I would bet that the Non-O stamp you get will have a beginning date of of about November 28th, thus technically giving you until about February 28th (or so, I'm not counting the days) to do your annual extension.  And, if February 28th is the ending date, then you could go to CM Immigration 45 days before that to apply for your annual extension based on retirement on or after January 17th (or perhaps the prior Friday depending on the exact ending date).  So sounds like it'll work out fine for your mentioned schedule.

[BritTim]

5 hours ago, chuang said:

Must the money in bank has to be from overseas.. thanks

Officially, yes. However, if the money has been continuously in your account for many months, most immigration offices will waive the requirement for proof that the money is from overseas.

 

Do you know if your bank account is still officially active? If not, and it must be resurrected, this may be tricky after a visa exempt entry.

[Farangfoodie]

OP.  I haven't touched the account since I renewed it in December of 2019.  And as it is a time deposit I cannot touch it by online actions.  However, it shows up on my online information.  I'm guessing it is fine, but not certain.

[Farangfoodie]

Thanks, again, CMBob.  Very helpful.  I see you clearly understand my concerns about dates.

[CMBob]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

...... However, if the money has been continuously in your account for many months, most immigration offices will waive the requirement for proof that the money is from overseas.....

I was in the same boat as the OP.....my retirement extension based on retirement expired while I was essentially trapped back in the states for 16 months due to the covid junk and, although nothing on the bank letter or current bank book reflected that the money originally came from overseas (arrived 12+ years ago), perhaps CM Immigration either didn't care about the "overseas" requirement or essentially waived it due to seeing I had been getting annual extensions for more than a decade based on those funds (the current bank book copies I used only covered a few years).  I suspect the OP won't have a problem either with the supposed "overseas" requirement. 

[Farangfoodie]

I have a new passport since my last time in Thailand.  I will carry the old one with me as it shows my long string of extensions, all based on the same 800k.

 

Regarding the possibility that my account is frozen: its a fixed account and it shows a future maturity date on the online portal, so likely I'm ok.

[Maybole]

I did my renewal of extension for marriage two weeks ago. it was not busy at all. we entered the main hall at 10.10am and our queue number was called before we could sit down. We left at 10.55.